I live in the flat lands of Norfolk, UK surrounded by beautiful woodlands, fen, rivers, fields and marsh. I am a proud single parent to two beautiful, very artistic children now in their late teens and early twenties,my eldest has just finished her first year at Cambridge University. I am a successful working artist embracing new technology and mainly licensing my images to the publishing and creative industries. I have been working with Photography for over 20 years and I am mainly interested in meeting points between the photographic image and painting. I use an iPhone and iPad to make my pictures. I have a constant desire to push the creative boundaries of possibilities in mobile photography. This year I won Artist/Photographer of the Year at the Mobile Photography Awards which has generated a lot of interest in what I do. Finding a unique style and voice is very important to me, I’m never static or complacent.

When did you know that art was your thing?

I didn’t know for a long time that it was. Art at my school was very traditional, I went to an all girls Grammar School and I was told in my first year I couldn’t draw so I think I closed that side of me down. Art lessons were wooden, colourless and uninspiring Throughout most of my teens I was very interested in writing and contemplating a future in journalism, I accidentally got into Photography when my Grandmother gave me a camera and it was through doing my Degree in Photography that I woke up again creatively. I knew then that art was my future but I also wanted to give something back. I trained to teach Art and Design because I felt my own art education at school had been so poor and almost destructive that I wanted to positively encourage children to experience all aspects of art early on. So all the time I’ve freelanced, I’ve taught Art full time and part time too. Twelve years ago I decided to set up a children’s Art project where I would go into rural schools in Norfolk and give children aged 5- 11 years weekly Art sessions that would really open their eyes to painting, textiles, sculpture, collage etc and we would exhibit the artwork each school term. Its still going strong and I am absolutely passionate about children having these creative experiences because Art and Music is getting more and more squeezed in the Primary School curriculum in the UK.

You are an iPhoneographer, for those of us unfamiliar with the term please enlighten us!

iPhoneography is creating images taken on a mobile device – mobile phone, iPad or tablet and using applications on them, ‘apps’ to edit them.

Can you give us some insight into the process you go through to create your work?

My process with the Portraits is always to start with one of my Photographic images and then I digitally collage elements onto the image to manipulate and alter the original image, for example I often change parts of the face and scales of things eg the eyes. After that I use an app called ‘Procreate’ to digitally paint on top of the image so that it makes sense. Recently I have been constructing entire faces and figures from collages before I paint. Its a time consuming process, lots of images get rejected but I keep working at it, striving to move forward and find new ground.

What’s your favorite part about making art?

I wake up every day and I feel really excited about my next piece of work. Digital brushes, colours, ideas all inspire me to keep making new work. Inspiration comes from many places and I devote lots of time to just looking at images by other artists. Most of my inspiration comes from contemporary Illustration rather than Photography. Ideas also come from stories, I’ve been a serious reader of Fiction all my life and many ideas in my work are inspired by writing. I’m a very productive image maker but I recognize the need for space and time outside work too, I like to be out walking in the countryside before I start work each day, to declutter my thoughts and reconnect with nature and the landscape where I live.

What inspires you to create?

Definitely a desire and a drive to keep getting better and push forwards with my ideas. I’m quite restless and keen to explore. The exploration of an idea, wanting to keep picking way at it until it starts making sense. Just visual inspiration that becomes countless pictures in your mind.

What’s the most rewarding thing about sharing your art with the world?

Working as an artist is quite an isolating experience, it can feel as though you are working in a bubble so feedback is important. Recognition for your ideas that gives you the confidence to keep going. Sharing also generates further interest and other projects open up in the process. I find it really valuable to connect with other artists too.